Order of the Encampment and March of the Tribes of Israel, Part 1

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 2:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (2) "Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house; they shall pitch far off around the tabernacle of the congregation."

In the last chapter, Moses and Aaron had taken a census of the able-bodied men from age twenty and upward who were able to go to war, as the Lord had instructed they do.  They were counted according to their tribes.  The Lord resumed speaking with Moses and Aaron giving them more instructions.  The children of Israel were to camp in their own groups, their own tribes, with their tribe's banner with the sign or distinguishing mark of the father of their particular tribe.  They were to pitch their tents a distance away from the tabernacle probably in a circle so that each tribe was the same distance from the tabernacle.  In a later scripture (Joshua 3:4), the distance was described as two thousand cubits, which was a little more than half a mile, so we might assume that is how far off they were to camp at this time.

(3) "And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies; and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah."

On the east side toward the rising sun, the entire tribe of Judah, 74,600 men of war, not including the rest of the women and children and men not able to go to war, was to camp; and Nahshon, the son Amminadab, was to be the captain or head of the tribe of Judah.

(4) "And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were seventy-four thousand six hundred."

As already recalled, Judah's company or army totaled 74,600 men.

(5) "And those who pitch next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, and Nethanel the son of Zuar shall be captain of the children of Issachar. (6) And his host, and those who were numbered of it were fifty-four thousand four hundred."

Next to the tribe of Judah was the tribe of Issachar to camp; and Nethanel, the son of Zuar was to be the captain of the tribe of Issachar.  The tribe of Issachar amounted to 54,400 able-bodied men of war.

(7) "Then the tribe of Zebulun; and Eliab the son of Helon shall be captain of the children of Zebulun. (8) And his host, and those who were numbered of it were fifty-seven thousand four hundred."

According to the early Jewish scholar, Aben Ezra, said Dr. John Gill in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, the tribe of Zebulun was camped on the opposite side of Judah than was the tribe of Issachar, with Judah in the middle.  Zebulun's camp included 57,400 men able to go to war, and Eliab was the captain of that tribe.

(9) “All who were numbered in the camp of Judah were one hundred and eighty-six thousand four hundred throughout their armies. These shall first set forth."

It would appear that "they of the standard of the camp of Judah" from verse 3 included the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, and they totaled 186,400 men in their armies.  These tribes that were camped on the east side were to be the first ones to move in a march or when about to journey.  Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, explained, "Those tribes were placed together under the same standard that were nearest of kin to each other; Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, were the three younger sons of Leah, and they were put together; and Issachar and Zebulun would not grudge to be under Judah, since they were his younger brethren."

(10) "On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies; and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur."

On the south side was to be camped the standard of the camp of Reuben, beginning with the tribe of Reuben, whose captain was Elizur, the son of Shedeur.

(11) "And his host, and those who were numbered of it, were forty-six thousand five hundred."

Reuben's company or army numbered 46,500 able-bodied men of war.

(12) "And those who pitch by him shall be the tribe of Simeon; and the captain of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. (13) And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were fifty-nine thousand three hundred."

The tribe of Simeon was to camp next to the tribe of Reuben under the standard of the camp of Reuben, and Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai, was the captain of the tribe of Simeon.  Simeon's company totaled 59,300.

(14) "Then the tribe of Gad; and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel. (15) And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty."

Then camped under the standard of Reuben was the tribe of Gad, whose captain was Eliasaph, the son of Reuel, or Deuel, as in Numbers 1:14 and elsewhere.  The army of Gad totaled 45,650.

(16) "All who were numbered in the camp of Reuben were one hundred and fifty-one thousand four hundred and fifty throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second rank."

Reuben, Jacob's oldest son, was made chief of the next standard.  Simeon, also a son of Leah, and Gad, the son of Zilpah her maid, were of this standard.  They totaled 151,450 men.  This standard would be the second in line when marching or moving.

(17) "Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards."

The tabernacle with the camp of the Levites was to move next, so that it was in the middle of all the camps.  The six tribes under the standards of Judah and Reuben were to move out first, then moved the tribe of Levi, followed by the other six tribes, as described in the next post.  As they camped, beginning with Judah in the east, so they would move, with Levi in the middle.

Because Blogger limits the number of labels on each post, and there are so many important names in Numbers 2, I have continued the study of this chapter in the next post:

Order of the Encampment and March of the Tribes of Israel, Part 2